US election 2012: It all points to a close finish as polls put Obama ahead by a whisker

 
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Barack Obama’s presidency hung in the balance today as he and Republican rival Mitt Romney stormed through a series of battleground states in a frantic last dash for votes before America goes to the polls tomorrow.

On the final full day of campaigning at the end of a contest that has cost £2 billion, two polls showed Mr Obama pulling ahead by a whisker — but the contest was still too close to call.

The respected RCP poll of polls put the Democrat president on 47.9 per cent of the vote and Mr Romney on 47.4 — a half-point gap well within the margin of error. With hours left to find the vital edge, the rivals criss-crossed each other in a flying tour of 14 events in eight critical swing states, ending for both men in Columbus, Ohio.

Mr Obama was appearing in Madison, Wisconsin, then Iowa and finishing his campaign with a rally in Ohio with rock legend Bruce Springsteen.

Mr Romney was starting in Florida — where polls suggest he has taken a lead — then Virginia, New Hampshire and finally Ohio, a bellwether state where no Republican has lost and then gone on to win the White House.

There were signs in London that British political leaders were preparing for the possibility of a Romney victory. Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith soothed relations strained during the former Massachusetts governor’s visit to the London Olympics, praising his business background and attacking UK media coverage of him.

“The demonisation of Mitt Romney over here has been appalling really,” he said. “This is a guy who actually ran a state very well, he got the debt and deficit down, he’s turned around businesses.”

Two national polls last night suggested the president had gained some momentum. A Washington Post-ABC News survey showed him on 49 per cent to Mr Romney’s 48 per cent, overhauling the challenger’s three-point lead from the end of last month.

A Pew Research Centre poll among likely voters showed Mr Obama surging three points ahead to 48 per cent. A third survey, on CNN, had the rivals deadlocked on 49 per cent.

In each case the margin of error — at between two and three per cent — is bigger than the gap between the candidates, which means either could win the popular vote.

Campaign team experts say the most critical factor now is getting key supporters to come out and vote. Analysts fear there is a real chance of a replay of the 2000 election, when Republican George W Bush won the presidency even though Democrat Al Gore had a narrow lead in the nationwide popular vote.

Increasingly, Ohio, where unemployment of seven per cent is well below the national average of 7.8 per cent, looks like the key. Mr Obama has campaigned there more than in any other state and his rival booked a heavy schedule of appearances in hopes of a breakthrough.

Mr Romney ricocheted around the country yesterday, promising sweeping change. He told a 10,000-strong rally in Morrisville, Pennsylvania: “The president thinks big government is the answer. ‘No, Mr President, more good jobs, that’s the answer.’”

He drew large crowds in Iowa and Ohio, where polling shows Mr Obama holds a slim edge, and held a late-night rally in Virginia, where the race appears even.

The president bounced between New Hampshire, Florida, Colorado and Ohio with a posse of famous friends. “I’m not ready to give up on the fight,” he told the crowd in Concord, New Hampshire. “I hope you aren’t either.”

About 30 million people — including nearly four million Floridians — have already cast ballots in 34 states and the District of Columbia, although none will be counted until tomorrow.

Democrats said there has been unprecedented demand for pre-election day voting, as they filed a lawsuit demanding an extension of available time.

Up for grabs are 83 electoral votes spread across Colorado, Florida, Ohio, New Hampshire, Virginia and Wisconsin. In Cincinnati, Ohio, the president was joined on stage by Stevie Wonder. He also spoke at a rally in Dayton, saying of his rival: “He is terrific at making presentations about stuff he thinks is wrong with America, but he sure can’t give you an answer about what will make it right.”

Bill Clinton was on the stump with Mr Obama in Concord, New Hampshire. Meanwhile, the president’s final campaign stop tonight will be in Des Moines, Iowa.

Both candidates pledged to be bipartisan in an effort to appeal to Independent voters, who will help decide the race.

“I want all parties to work together,” the president said at a rally in Hollywood, Florida. “We’re not Democrats and Republicans first. We’re Americans first.

“As long as I’m president, I will work with anybody, of any party, to move this country forward.”

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